Coastal Highrider
The 'Coastal Highrider '''is an Amtrak and VIA Rail passenger train in Tales on the Thompson and Western. Description The Coastal Highrider runs between Oakland, CA (San Francisco via the Thruway Motorcoach) and Halifax, NS via, Thompson, Kent, Highland Valley, Harrison, Port Ogden, Port VanDenH, Longford, Malta, Rugby, Fargo, Columbus, Chicago, Sudbry, Kylesford and Wyefield. It was formerly ran by the Southern Pacific from San Francisco as far as Port VanDenH, where the Great Northern takes over as far as Chicago, where Canadian Pacific took the train the rest of the way to Halifax. It ran like this from 1951 until 1970. Amtrak took over in 1972 and operated the train as the Northern Railer between San Francisco and Malta while VIA Rail operated the service on the CP Section as the Coastal Maple. In 1981, Amtrak and VIA Rail fully restarted the service as The Coastal Highrider. It shares the routes of the California Zephyr, Coast Starlight, Grand Rapids, Ocean and Empire Builder. The lines used include the Thompson and Western, Port Ogden and Northern, Northern Transcon and Wyefield. The Train is operated by VIA Rail from Halifax as far as Kylesford, where Amtrak takes over. The train then terminates at Oakland like the California Zephyr and the Thruway Coaches take the passengers the rest of the way to San Francisco. The train is often pulled by Stella, Alice, Elena, Lily, Marie, Marty or Neville. The train a Bi-Level Superliner train like most Amtrak western routes. Consist Amtrak Consist * 2-3 Engines * 3 Material Handling Cars * 1 Baggage Car * 1 Superliner Transition Sleeper or Hi Level Coach Dormitory * 3-4 Superliner Sleeping Cars * 1 Superliner Dining Car * 1 Superliner Sightseer Lounge Car * 3 Superliner Coaches (one being a Coach/Baggage car) The three coaches are switched to the Midwest Highlander at Minot for connections to Albuquerque. VIA Rail Consist * 3 Engines * 1 Budd Baggage Car * 4 Château sleeping Cars * 1 Skyline Dome Car * 1 Dinning Car * 1 Galley Business Car * 1 Skyline Dome Car * 4 Manor Sleeping Cars * 1 Park Series Observation Cars Journey Description The train departs Oakland, CA after the Amtrak Thruway Coach arrives from San Francisco, CA. The train travels along the coast and Pacific Ocean, making it's first stop at Thompson, CA. At Thompson, train climbs Salmons Pass. The train reaches the summit of Salmons Pass at an elevation 1,845 ft above sea level before starting down at Snowslip Tunnel. The train makes a servicing stop at Kent, , CA at the beautiful Kent Union Station. This crew will take the train all the way to Longford, MT. After departing Kent, the train enters the Sierra Nevada Range and stops at Highland Valley, CA. After that, the train continues on through the Sierra Nevada and into Utah where it stops at Harrison, UT and enters the Austral Bay region and makes an evening stop at Austral Bay, UT and Hoskings, ID. The train passes through northern Utah and all of Idaho at night before being greeted by a morning sunrise in the Longford River Valley. The train then arrives for servicing at Longford, MT. The train soon enters another mountain range after crossing the Longford Lake on a swing bridge and begins to climb Longford Pass, paralleling the Longford and Continental Divide Railroad. The train crosses the Continental Divide through Longford Tunnel. The train then passes through the long and spectacular Longford Canyon before pulling into Middlesford, MT. After stopping at Malta, MT, the train will continue on, stopping at Minot, ND. Alongside the Minot to Kylesford crew change, three of the cars on the train are switched with the Midwest Highlander for connections to Albuquerque, NM. The now shortened Coastal Highrider departs Minot and heads for Saint Paul, MN before a late evening arrival in Chicago, IL at the Chicago Union Station. The train continues on, through Illinois and Michigan all night, crossing into Canada by dawn, and arrives at Kylesford, OT, at the Kylesford Union Station, by morning. Not only a crew change takes place at Kylelsford, but also, the passengers switch with a VIA Rail train for the last leg of the journey to Halifax, NS. The VIA Rail train then crosses the Quebec boarder and enters Wyefield Pass through the eastern Canadian Mountain Range. The train makes a stopover at Wyefield, QC before continuing through the mountains to the East Coast Mountain Range, where the passengers get a glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean. The train makes it's final stop at Sackville, NS. The train then passes along the harbour to it's destination at Halifax, NS. Appearances TBA Trivia * The train was inspired by the Richmond Limited from ''Rails of Highland Valley, the Harrison Limited from Tales on Harrison Rails ''and the Philadelphia Limited from ''Tales on Springfield Railroad. * The original train was originally going to be controlled by the Milwaukee Road between Port Ogden and Kylesford. Category:Passenger Trains Category:Amtrak